BVCA event highlights role of private equity and venture capital in supporting entrepreneurial SMEs

Our CEO Nigel Hunton attended the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association’s (BVCA) annual reception in September at the House of Commons. This informal drinks reception is designed to facilitate engagement between private equity and venture capital practitioners, the entrepreneurs behind some of the UK’s most successful businesses and Members of Parliament.

With more than 200 in attendance, including portfolio company managers, peers and MPs including the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and the Minister of State for Universities and Science, the event was an occasion to re-emphasise the role of private equity and venture capital in supporting UK SMEs.

Some 90% of £5.7bn UK private equity and venture capital investments went to SMEs in 2012, according to the BVCA, while £33bn has been invested in 4,500 UK companies over the past five years.

The BVCA also launched its BVCA Impact Map, an interactive mapping process whereby portfolio companies are matched to MPs’ constituencies. Speakers included Tim Hames, Director General of the BVCA, Tim Corbett of BNP Paribas, Mark Field, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Private Equity and Venture Capital and Simon Clark, BVCA Chairman.

The event was held just days after trade association Plastic Recyclers Europe published a report emphasising the need for further innovation in plastics recycling and recycling policies if a recycling target of 62% is to be met by 2020. Nigel Hunton spoke to investors and BVCA about the need for the UK government to keep plastics recycling in the spotlight.

The BVCA’s members comprise more than 500 influential firms, including 230 private equity and venture capital houses with an accumulated total of more than £200 billion funds under management.